The village of Webster has completed a $16 million upgrade to its wastewater treatment plant, replacing aging equipment and improving the system that serves residents and businesses in the Monroe County community.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the completed project, saying the work is intended to improve treatment reliability and help protect water quality in Lake Ontario's Rochester Embayment. The plant, first built in 1934, serves thousands of users.
The New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation provided $14.5 million in interest-free financing and a $1.4 million grant through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The financing package is projected to save the village more than $16 million in debt-service costs compared with traditional borrowing. That figure is a projection of borrowing costs avoided, not a cash payment to residents.
Construction began in summer 2024 after several years of planning. The corporation also provided an engineering planning grant to help the village prepare a report before construction.
What changed at the plant
The project upgraded major plant components, replaced old equipment and improved treatment processes. State officials say those changes should make the facility more reliable, increase its capacity to meet changing community needs and improve how wastewater is treated before it returns to local waterways.
Webster Mayor Darrell Byerts said the renovated plant will serve residents and businesses as the community grows. The announcement does not provide a breakdown of the individual equipment purchases or quantify the expected change in pollutant levels in the embayment.
The project concerns wastewater treatment, not a current drinking-water safety order. The state did not announce any new restrictions or immediate action for water customers.
State financing and next steps
The Webster project is part of the state's broader water-infrastructure program. Hochul's office says New York has committed $10.6 billion to clean-water infrastructure projects since 2021 and that the enacted 2027 state budget includes a $3.75 billion water-infrastructure investment plan. Those statewide totals are separate from Webster's $16 million project.
The Environmental Facilities Corporation says it is accepting applications for $45 million in Green Resiliency Grants and offers Community Assistance Teams to help municipalities prepare applications. Those opportunities are for local governments; the announcement does not describe a new individual household application tied to Webster's completed plant.
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